


The Hanukkah Debacle of 2017

by AlainaCorrigan



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: Fluff fluff and more fluff, Hanukkah, M/M, warning: slight/some cursing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-22
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-18 16:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13104378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlainaCorrigan/pseuds/AlainaCorrigan
Summary: The Hanukkah Debacle of 2017 starts off innocently. The plan is simple: get decorations to bring Hanukkah to Zach, and make sure he doesn’t celebrate alone.





	The Hanukkah Debacle of 2017

**Author's Note:**

> IF YOU GOT HERE BY GOOGLING YOURSELF OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW....back out now :)
> 
> so...Hanukkah ended Tuesday but life was crazy with finals and I rewrote this fic like 5 times so I apologize that it's late? big thanks to crystaljules for reading this over, Guzmanasol for bouncing ideas with me, & remembermyfic for holding my hand through parts of this fic. This wasn't the fic I originally intended to write, but I think it turned out okay - Shan

The Hanukkah Debacle of 2017 starts off innocently. Willy’s been over to Zach’s apartment and knows that he takes a very minimalistic approach to decorations. And that the same approach applies to the holidays. The plan is simple: get decorations to bring Hanukkah to Zach, and make sure he doesn’t celebrate alone. Because Willy’s been alone for Christmas, has been playing in World Juniors and been surrounded by teammates but missing his family. It’s not the easiest sacrifice hockey players make, being away from families for important holidays and celebrations. 

It’s a simple plan. Which makes it all the more embarrassing when Willy is standing in Walmart and lost in the aisles of holiday decorations trying to find something blue and white instead of red and green. He’s not even certain he knows what decorations to buy, which ones are traditional Hanukkah decorations. 

He’s lost and dealing with feelings - which, Willy does not do feelings - so he does the only thing he can. He calls Auston.

“Matts. How does one decorate for Hanukkah? Like, is there a tree involved?” WIlly asks, looking around the aisle he’s in for a Hanukkah tree. 

“Willy, what the hell?” Auston says. “Why the fuck would I know that stuff?”

“Because you’re like. Knowledgeable and shit?”

“Yeah and I never went to college. Wouldn’t it make more sense to call, oh I don’t know, Hymie with questions about Hanukkah? Get the answers right from the source?”

Willy bites his lip, knows that admitting what he’s doing will definitely give Auston a month’s worth of chirping material. He sighs, knowing he has no other choice but to endure it. “I’m trying to surprise Hymie here Matts. Can’t exactly ask him about Hanukkah without ruining the surprise.”

Auston is silent for a moment, definitely judging him. “So you’re trying to surprise Hymie with Hanukkah decorations but have no clue what to actually get?” Auston asks, “And you called me because you think I’d know what to get?”

Willy hangs his head and brushes his hair out of his face. It’s not his proudest moment, definitely not his smartest, but who can blame him when he’s trying to do something meaningful for the guy he really likes? “Yeah Matts. That’s exactly what’s going on here.”

“But why are you trying to surprise Hymie? That’s the part I’m stuck on, and why you decided to call me but I have a feeling both my questions will be answered soon,” Auston says and Willy can hear the shit-eating grin through the phone. He closes his eyes and contemplates if it’s really worth it to admit why he’s doing this. Why it’s so important. 

In the end, he knows he needs all the help he can get so he mutters, “Because I don’t know how else to flirt with him and let him know I actually have like, feelings.”

Auston’s quiet on the other line. And Willy is about ready to call this whole thing off and just give up. He’ll wallow in his feelings for Zach because Zach is smart and there is no way he feels the same way about Willy. 

“I’m just gonna go Matts, this was stupid and ridiculous and-”

“No, wait! Marns is here. He knows a bit about Hanukkah, celebrated it in London with one of his teammates. Just, give it a second okay?”

Willy sighs and stays on the phone. He’s not sure what else to do. He doesn’t get feelings. Or crushes. And definitely not on teammates. He’s in new territory and he doesn’t want to screw it up. Not just because Zach’s his teammate, and usually his liney, but because it’s Zach. Zach’s like, important to Willy and shit.

“Mitchy the elf here, what’s your favorite color?” 

Willy almost hangs up. Sometimes, he really hates his teammates.

“Marns. This is serious. I need to know what kind of decorations to get for Hanukkah,” Willy snaps. 

“Blue and white. You don’t need a tree, some tinsel in those colors and lights will work. If you can find stuff with dreidels, the spinning tops with Hebrew characters on them, even better. And then the menorah. There should be electrical ones, makes it easier to travel with,” Mitch rattles off. Willy breathes, feeling a little more at ease. “Willy, you okay there?”

“Yeah. Just, this is a lot. I’m having,” he takes a breath and cringes at his next words, “feelings. Like a crush. And it’s a lot. And unsettling. How the hell do you handle this?”

Mitch must have pulled the phone away from his face because Willy hears faint laughter. He pouts and considers hanging up again but he kind of needs his teammates right now. Even if they are being assholes. 

“Willy, you’ve felt things before. And this is Hymie we’re talking about. Anything you do, he’ll be happy with,” Mitch reassures him. 

Willy nods, even though Mitch can’t see him, before saying a quick thanks and hanging up to go buy the decorations. 

He just hopes Mitch is right, that Zach will be happy no matter what he does.

 

There’s a chance Willy bought too much stuff at Walmart. He manages to fit it into his suitcase, but he also may skimp on t-shirts. It’s fine, the decorations are more important. 

Willy looked stuff up and has like, a plan, but he’s a little upset he can’t surprise Zach with decorations on the first night of Hanukkah, but they have a game and then are flying to Minnesota. So he’ll have everything ready to surprise Zach on the second night. It’s not ideal, but he’s doing something. Finally.

It’s not something he’s proud of, ignoring the way his heart clenches around Zach and trying to talk normally. He just, doesn’t know how else to handle feelings. And Willy has a lot of feelings towards Zach, many of them the warm and fuzzy kind. The kind where Willy thinks about curling up together on the couch after practice, about taking pre-game naps together, about spending a whole lot of time together. 

Basically, Willy thinks he might love Zach but has pushed that thought down so far up until now. Now, he’s ready to let it out. Hopefully the Hanukkah decorations help to show Zach how much he cares.

So Willy spends a good part of the afternoon setting up the decorations, putting the menorah on the windowsill, spreading tinsel around every available surface, stringing lights where he could, and putting dreidels and gelt on the desk. It looks like chaos, but organized chaos. The entire room looks blue and white and incredibly festive, Willy thinks.

He texts Zach (the original plan had been to call him but that was too much) and invites him over. Willy tries not to pace, to let his nerves talk him down from anything. He’s doing this. He’s been hiding his feelings for over a year and just needs to, to fix that. To let Zach know how much he means to Willy, how much Willy likes him. 

The knock on the door pulls Willy out of his thoughts. He takes a breath and opens the door. 

“Willy what’s this about, it’s almost sundown and I have to-”

“Happy Hanukkah!” Willy says, a little too loud and Zach gives him a quizzical look. “C’mere.” Willy grabs Zach’s hand and drags him into the room, showing off the decorations. “I knew the team was going to be on the road for the first few nights of Hanukkah so I figured I could bring the celebration with us. Since you can’t be with family. And no one should be alone for a holiday. Even though you’ve told us before that Hanukkah isn’t a big deal, it’s still a holiday and this is still a time to be with family and-”

“Willy, you did this for me?” Zach asks, awestruck. 

Willy blushes, and runs a hand through his hair. “Uhm. Yeah. I figured it would be nice to not be alone. I could light the lights with you. I wanted to do it yesterday but we had a game.”

“But, why?” Zach looks so dumbfounded, so surprised and taken aback. 

“Because, because no one should be alone on a holiday!” Willy insists. “And,” he pauses, his heart racing and palms clammy, “because I wanted to do something for you. Because you’re pretty great. And I had a feeling you wouldn’t appreciate being caught under mistletoe so I thought bringing you Hanukkah would be a better gesture.”

Zach’s brow furrows and really, Willy shouldn’t find it cute or adorable but he just wants to crowd into Zach’s space and smooth it out. Dammit, he is so gone for Zach and it’s like Zach can’t even tell. “Why’d you want to catch me under mistletoe? You have to kiss the person you catch-”

“Kinda the point there, Hymie.” Willy’s blushing even harder now and looking at his feet. “I, look, I uhm.” Willy’s tripping over his words. He, shit he can’t do this. Just look Zach in the face and tell him how he feels. It’s too much, he’s too nervous, Zach doesn’t feel the same way, he can’t do it. No way. 

“You what? You want, want to kiss me?” Zach asks, his voice incredulous. 

Willy sighs, “Yeah. And, well. More. Look, Zach,” he swallows, he’s going to do this. He’s come to far to back out. “Zach I-I really like you. I did this because you shouldn’t be alone for Hanukkah and I also just, I didn’t know how else to tell you I like you.” 

And that’s it. It’s out there. No backsies. 

“You, what?” Zach sounds like he’s just been slammed into the boards, breathless and shocked. “Willy, you’re not joking right?”

“No! I, Zach I’ve liked you for a while and if you don’t feel the same way then fine I understand it, I just. Needed to let you know.” Willy drops his head again and kicks at the carpet, a little dejected. He can hold himself together for a bit, to at least light the lights with Zach and then he’ll probably call Mitch or Auston and talk to them.

“Hey, Willy.” Zach’s standing closer and he reaches out a hand to take Willy’s. “I, uh, feel the same way. I mean, I like you. And want to kiss you. Have for a while,” Zach shrugs. He’s so casual about this but it floors Willy. This is like, a fucking revelation. 

“Wait, really? Because you never gave a hint to it-”

“Like you gave a hint to liking me!”

“Besides the point. You always seemed to calm and relaxed and chill and I’ve been over here freaking out and dealing with actual feelings and we could have been dating all this-”

And then Zach kisses him. 

It’s not a great kiss, but it shuts Willy up and he enthusiastically responds, wrapping his arms around Zach’s shoulders, keeping him close. Zach smiles into the kiss and wraps his arms around Willy’s waist. 

Zach pulls back and Willy chases his lips, making him laugh. “That answer your question? I like you too, Willy.” 

“Yup, yup, we’re good. All clear, we both like each other and there are great feelings involved. Can we get back to the kissing now, because that was good.” Zach laughs and puts a hand over Willy’s mouth, stopping him. 

“Lights first. Then we can kiss and talk about this more. Like why the hell you bought out the entire Hanukkah section to decorate a hotel room,” Zach chirps. 

“I wanted to make sure there was adequate decorations!” Willy squawks. 

“Adequate? Willy, it looks like Hanukkah threw up in here,” Zach deadpans. 

“Oops?” 

 

So when Zach recounts the story to Auston and Mitch the next morning, with Connor and Freddie leaning in to overhear, they all start laughing and chirping Willy for over-decorating. Later, when they’re all helping Willy take down and re-pack the decorations they call him certifiably crazy. And that’s how the Hanukkah Debacle of 2017 got its name and got Willy and Zach together. Finally.


End file.
